Longevity by Grinding Skills

Xu Yunfan stood above the turbulent East Sea. Beneath his feet, the sea’s surface congealed like a mirror under the pressure of his immense Magical Power.

The All Heaven Star Spirit Banner fluttered, and on its deep, abyssal surface, three hundred and sixty-five stars flickered in and out of existence, unleashing a boundless, grinding power of starlight that enveloped the brilliant sword silhouette at its core.

𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Elder Ye Yuan of the Wansheng Sword Sect’s Phecda Peak.

Seeing his opponent injured for the first time, Xu Yunfan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

’I was actually starting to think he couldn’t be beaten.’

If he had been forced to use the Golden Core Sword Intent left to him by Ancestral Master Chunyang, it would have been a huge embarrassment. That was what he had been saving for his attempt at the Golden Core realm.

Soon, Xu Yunfan sensed subtle changes and surges in Ye Yuan’s aura, even under the heavy suppression. It was a monstrous flame of fury, brewing in the depths of his desperation.

But then, the frenzied aura around Ye Yuan unbelievably subsided, giving way to the dead silence that precedes a volcanic eruption.

In the eye of the storm, his face settled into an unsettling calm.

His gaze pierced through the layers of starlight and banner shadows to lock onto Xu Yunfan. His voice, cold and hard, cut through the roar of Sword Gang and thunder, echoing clearly beside Xu Yunfan’s ears.

"Xu Yunfan. I know of you. Peak Master of the Primordial Sect’s Divine Sky Peak. You are considered one of the more outstanding Foundation Establishment Daoist Masters the Primordial Sect has produced in recent years."

"I have wielded this sword to purge demons and slay evil for over three hundred years, ever since my own Qi Cultivation and Foundation Establishment. Through three lifetimes of trials, I reached Foundation Establishment Perfection thirty-seven years ago, and this is the first time I have ever been pushed to such an extent."

His words were flat, yet they carried a suffocating pressure.

He was gathering power even as he spoke.

Xu Yunfan’s heart tightened. ’This man is trapped in an Absolute Array and has consumed an immense amount of Magical Power, yet his aura is still as deep and profound as an abyss.’

Ye Yuan’s gaze swept over Xu Yunfan like an invisible sword’s edge.

"For someone merely at the Late-Stage Foundation Establishment, to be able to push me this far... it’s truly impressive."

His voice paused, carrying the tone of a condescending assessment. "You’re far better than that despicable Lu Chuan who fled from battle."

Hearing Ye Yuan mention Lu Chuan’s treachery, a nameless anger flared within Xu Yunfan.

’These sons of bitches from the Primordial Sect... not a single one of them has any damn integrity.’

’They run at the first sign of trouble.’

’Of course, if Ye Yuan hadn’t chosen him as a target, Xu Yunfan would have made a run for it as well.’

’Unfortunately, by setting up the Grand Array, he’d really painted a target on his back, leaving him no choice but to figure out a way to defend himself.’

While Xu Yunfan was cursing wildly in his mind, only a faint sneer appeared on his face. He angled his True Martial Sword toward the sea, purple arcs of lightning flickering erratically along its blade.

He was just about to speak.

SHING!

A cold light flared!

Ye Yuan’s tone had changed, but his actions were faster than words.

With a flick of his wrist, he didn’t point his sword at his opponent, but instead gazed at the ancient, unadorned Iron Sword in his hand. It was covered in cracks and emanated a tragic, fierce aura. He looked at it as if he were gazing upon a lifelong friend and the very path of his Dao.

"This sword..."

His voice grew low, taking on an almost reverent tone.

"It is named ’Returning Steel.’ When I was just a naive Qi Refining Child who had just entered the Wansheng Sword Sect, I was bestowed this Profound Iron Sword Core. I have nourished it day and night with my own heart’s blood, tempered its edge with my will, and it has accompanied me to Foundation Establishment, through slaying demons and purging evil. The hundreds of years of hardship on my Dao path, the karma I have slain to protect the Dao... it is all stored within this blade."

His fingers tightened around the hilt. The Returning Steel Sword possessed a spirit; the network of cracks covering its surface began to hum, emitting a low thrum that seemed to silently recount countless life-and-death battles. The hum of the blade was not a wail of sorrow, but the roar of a dragon thirsting for battle.

An indescribable will, both tragic and ferocious, spread out, causing even the grinding power of the starlight descending from the All Heaven Star Formation to stagnate for an instant.

"Xu Yunfan."

Ye Yuan’s voice suddenly rose, sharp as clashing steel, tearing through the sky. His gaze pierced the Starlight Chains, searing and intense.

"To die by this sword today is a fate worthy of your Late-Stage Foundation Establishment Daoist Cultivation and the respect I have for you."

"You are worthy!"

The instant those three words—"You are worthy!"—boomed out, the change that had long been building to its apex erupted violently.

There was no warning.

VMMMM!

A sword cry that shook the East Sea rang out from the Iron Sword named Returning Steel. It was not the hum of vibrating metal, but more like a resonance with the very Laws of Heaven and Earth.

An indescribable pressure condensed in an instant—a fierce and tragic will that sacrificed one’s own life, that knew only advance and no retreat, that would sever all shackles and obliterate the future.

Behind Ye Yuan, the void itself violently twisted and shattered.

Endless pale light swept out like a supernova, instantly devouring the celestial starlight, the silhouette of the Banner Spirit, the churning waves, and the sea breeze.

That region of space transformed into an incomparably pure yet devastatingly fierce Sword Domain, carrying with it a sliver of the Indestructible Golden Nature.

This was the Anomaly that manifested when a cultivator at Foundation Establishment Perfection comprehended their own Dao.

Pure White Forbidden Domain: Return to the Other Shore!

Xu Yunfan’s heart pounded violently in his chest.

In the next instant, his Talent Divine Ability Martial Arts Celestial Eye activated, its divine light instinctively flaring as it frantically tried to analyze the scene before him.

’This is no mere torrent of energy.’

’It’s the will Ye Yuan has forged over a lifetime of Cultivation.’

’It is the ultimate Manifestation of his incomparably fierce Sword Dao, one that sacrifices the self to achieve righteousness.’

’It is the culmination of his life’s Daoist Cultivation and his understanding of the Sword Dao. More than that, it is his inquisition into the Dao of the immortal Golden Nature.’

The appearance of this Anomaly meant only one thing.

Ye Yuan’s comprehension of the Dao Fruit he sought had reached a critical point. He might have already touched upon that supreme Sword Dao Fruit Position on a spiritual level, earning its favor.

He simply hadn’t yet used himself as an anchor to fully draw it down into the world of the living.

That Fruit Position, corresponding to Ye Yuan’s Fierce Sword Intent and the legacy of the Wansheng Sword Sect, had to be one controlled by the Wansheng Sword Sect.

’Bright Sun No Return Ten Thousand Vehicles Dao Fruit!’

The thought flashed through Xu Yunfan’s mind, and every hair on his body stood on end.

This was no longer merely the power of Foundation Establishment Perfection. This was the might of someone with one foot already on the threshold of the Golden Core realm, a person on the verge of seeking the Golden Dao.

It had long since surpassed the power of an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

"Die!"

Illuminated by the light of the Pure White Forbidden Realm, Ye Yuan’s face revealed a madness and resolve—the willingness for both jade and stone to burn together.

He raised the Returning Steel Sword high with both hands. Empowered by the Anomaly, the sword seemed to transform into the sole source of light between heaven and earth, shouldering the entire power of the Pure White Forbidden Realm.

He didn’t need to draw upon the mighty power of the star Alkaid. This single strike burned his own Dao Foundation and will. It was his Fierce Sword Intent, purified and sublimated to the absolute extreme.

"SLAY!!!"

The Returning Steel Sword fell without a sound. There was no grand spectacle, only a fine, platinum-gold line, condensed to the absolute limit. It was as thin as a strand of hair, yet it seemed capable of slicing through the very river of time.

Ever forward!

Slaying all of Ten Thousand Laws!

This fine line ignored the distance of space. It ignored the grinding starlight that descended from the three hundred and sixty-five stars of the All Heaven Star Formation, a power potent enough to crush mountains.

The instant the Grand Array’s immense energy made contact with the white line, it was as if a fragile curtain of light had been torn open by an invisible hand, leaving a narrow yet irreparable fissure.

Before this line, the grinding power of the starlight seemed to have met its natural predator; it collapsed and was utterly annihilated.

The Gang Qi of the Celestial Sword Seat attempted to block it, but collapsed on contact.

Chains of malevolent Evil Qi coiled around it, only to snap in silence.

The desperate sword light from Ye Kai’s soul body disintegrated on its own as it drew near the white line, just like a moth to a flame.